This weekend, I decided to check out a detached condo in a small community off of Culver and Farwell. While technically considered Northwood, the neighborhood is on the opposite side of Culver and is zoned for Tustin Schools.

The basics:

Asking Price: $699,999

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 2.5

Square Footage: 1,700

Lot Size: 3,000

$/Sq Ft: $400

Days on Market: 59

Property Type: Detached Condo

Year Built: 2005

Community: Northwood / Mericort

Schools: Hicks Canyon, Orchard Hills, Beckman (Tustin Unified)

HOA dues are $160 per month and Mello Roos is .3% (total tax rate of 1.4%).

When I pulled up, I saw several children outside playing, so it seems like a very kid-friendly neighborhood. Numerous bushes surround the front walk, helping it to feel more like a house and less like a condo. When you walk inside the unit, you are faced with a wall, with rooms to the left and right.

On the left, there is a den. The realtor listing calls it a fourth bedroom, but it lacks a closet. The room is a good size, with windows facing both the street and the front walk. Like the other rooms downstairs, it has dark wood flooring and white crown molding. Just outside the room, there is a half bath with a pedestal sink and a closet with shelves from top to bottom.

To the right of the entry is the living room. This is an attractive room with a white, melamine built-in unit in one corner. It has windows on two sides and a ceiling fan, so it probably gets good ventilation as well.

An arched doorway leads from the living room to the dining room. With another arched doorway separating it from the kitchen, it truly is its own room, making it easy to give as casual or as formal a feeling as you desire. Sliding doors on one wall lead to a small side patio. The stairs to the second floor are opposite the sliders.

The kitchen is done in white melamine that, together with white appliances, gives it a very clean look. It has a single oven range with a microwave above it. There are numerous cabinets and drawers, so storage doesn’t seem to be a problem. It also has a large, walk-in pantry through a doorway that leads to the garage.

The washer and dryer are in the garage, which also has some built-in shelves and cabinets. There is a coat closet just inside the door from the garage.

All three bedrooms are located upstairs. Though the staircase itself is carpeted, the entire upstairs has wood floors. The secondary bath is just to the left at the top of the stairs. It has a single sink without a lot of counter space. There is a shower/tub combo with a very narrow bathtub. Overall, I think the bathroom would feel very cramped if you had two or more children using it daily. The shower is done in simple, white tile and the cabinets are white melamine. There is a linen closet in the upstairs hallway.

The secondary bedrooms are both a lot bigger than I expected for a condo. Each one has windows on two walls and a two-door, sliding closet. While neither room had a lot of furniture, I do think you’d be able to include standard bedroom sets without the room being too crowded.

The master bedroom isn’t large, but doesn’t feel too small. It has windows on two walls and a small alcove on another. The alcove is a great spot for a dresser or armoire, or you could put in a built-in unit. The walk-in closet is a good size and is in the bedroom itself, not off the bathroom.

A full door separates the master bath from the bedroom. It has dual sinks, a bathtub, and a stall shower. Like the other bathroom, the shower and tub have plain, white tile and the cabinets are white melamine, set in a plain, white counter. It isn’t fancy, but it is in good condition.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the condo. The rooms felt much more spacious than I anticipated and everything was in very good condition. The den downstairs is a nice addition to the space. The price is slightly lower per square foot than recent sales in the same neighborhood. The only thing I don’t like is that, not only is it in the Tustin school district, but it is almost 1.5 miles away from the elementary school. With most neighborhood schools in Irvine being within easy walking distance from the homes they serve, this one seems too far away and eliminates the feeling of community.

Today I am reviewing 223 Mayfair in the newer Stonegate community. It is a three bedroom, three bathroom two-level condominium, with one of the bedrooms on the first floor. The home is a corner property, sharing a wall on one side of the home. The price has been reduced twice from the original asking price of $745,000. After parking along the street, I had to walk down a small alley, passing several garages in order to reach the sidewalk with the home’s entrance. However there seems to be plenty of street parking on both sides of the home.

Asking Price: $699,000

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 2.75

Square Footage: 1,614

Lot Size: 1,800 sq ft

Price per Square Foot: $433

Property Type: Residential, Condominium

Style: Two Level

Year Built: 2012

Community: Stonegate

HOA Fees: $308

Mello Roos: Yes

Days on Market: 35

Upon entry, a short wall immediately to the left separates the entryway from the living room area. The living room flows into the open kitchen solution. To the right is a short hallway consisting of the staircase, a bedroom and a bathroom. Beyond the small hallway is a coat closet. The small entryway has tile flooring while the living room and downstairs bedroom are carpeted. The kitchen and all of the bathrooms have linoleum flooring that looks like tile.

The living room has 3 side-by-side windows facing out the front of the home and two sets of windows on the perpendicular wall. The living room flows directly into the open kitchen, which has a sliding glass door out to the small patio. There is no defined dining area so a small table could sit in the area between the island and living room.

The kitchen has white cabinets, granite countertop and backsplash and stainless steel appliances. It has a rectangular island with space for bar seating. The island contains the sink and dishwasher. Along the wall behind the island is the oven/stovetop combo with plenty of cabinets and counter space. The garage door entry is also found on the back wall. Along the perpendicular wall are a small counter area, microwave and refrigerator. Although it has plenty of cabinets, it lacks a true pantry, unless someone prefers to use the coat closet for a pantry.

The small patio is accessible from the kitchen sliding door. It is a small rectangular area with pavers, surrounded by a cinderblock wall. It provides the opportunity to sit outdoors or place a bar-b-que outside, but it is not big enough to entertain outdoors.

The downstairs bedroom has two windows facing the front of the house. It has a two-door sliding closet. The bathroom has a single sink and a large shower with bench. The shower has 4×4 white tile. The flooring is same style linoleum as in the in kitchen.

Upstairs is a built in desk with cabinets on the landing, another secondary bedroom with en suite bathroom, and the master bedroom with balcony. Immediately to the right is the built in desk overlooking the staircase. There are 3 drawers to the left and 3 cabinet doors to the right of the desk table. This makes a great nook to set up an office area, to do homework or keep some files.

Along the wall behind the desk is the secondary bedroom. A single window looks out towards the front of the house. It appears to be of similar size as the downstairs bedroom and also has a two-door sliding closet. The en suite bathroom has a single sink and a large tub/shower combo. The sink area has plenty of counter space. The shower and tub-surround is the same 4×4 white tile as the shower downstairs.

At the end of the hallway is the master bedroom. There is an abundance of natural light flooding the room with three windows and a set of french doors. The french doors lead out to a veranda which faces the front of the house. On the opposite wall are a good sized walk-in closet and bathroom entrance. There is no bathroom door which leaves an open doorway leading to a linen closet, dual sinks, large tub, shower and a separate toilet. There was an option for a bathroom door in the original plans, so I assume one can be installed if desired. The vanity, mirrors, and tile match the same style as the other bathrooms. A window sits above the foot of the toilet, which brings in some natural light.

Outside of the master bedroom is a closet for a stackable washer and dryer.

223 Mayfair will appeal to buyers looking for a bedroom on the first level. It is in excellent condition. The paint and carpet are clean, as well as the bathrooms and kitchen. In my opinion, the only major downfalls to the home are a lack of a kitchen pantry and the small size of the patio.

I don’t go over to West Irvine very often, but this week I decided to check out a single family home in the Glen Willows tract. 65 Copper Leaf is a simple, four bedroom home located on a small, corner lot.

The basics:

Asking Price: $769,000

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 2.5

Square Footage: 1,900

Lot Size: 4,012

$/Sq Ft: $405

Days on Market: 19

Property Type: Single Family Home

Year Built: 1999

Community: West Irvine, Glen Willows

Schools: Myford, Orchard Hills, Beckman (Tustin Unified)

There are no HOA dues. Mello Roos is $754/year.

While this house is technically on a corner lot, it has two other homes coming off a long driveway behind it, so the lot isn’t any bigger than the others in the neighborhood. At only 4,012 square feet, the lot really isn’t very big at all. Just around the corner from the home, there is a playground and a basketball court, which are a nice bonus for a neighborhood without an HOA. The front of the house is pretty plain, with a two-car garage and a small porch.

The house has a very small entry area that opens directly to a living area. There is a coat closet to the right of the front door and a small, half bathroom to the left. The stairs to the second floor are just past the bathroom. The living area is long and narrow. It also serves as the walkway to the rest of the rooms downstairs, so there are limitations on how to furnish the room. It is nice to have some extra living space though.

The true family room is just behind it at the back of the house. It has a fireplace on one wall and windows overlooking the backyard on another. The area isn’t particularly big, but it makes a cozy living space. I wasn’t able to get a great picture, but there is a tall, narrow media niche next to the fireplace.

The dining area is next to the family room. It has a casual feel and is probably best suited for a table for 4 – 6 people, though a table for eight could probably fit. There are sliding doors to the backyard behind the table. The floor boards adjacent to the doors have some sun damage. The realtor suggested pulling up the floor and putting tile in the dining area to match the kitchen. There is no damage to the floor in the two living areas.

The kitchen is simple and includes the basic amenities that the builder originally used. There are white tile counters and simple cabinets without any handles or drawer pulls. There is one pantry-height cupboard next to the fridge. The white appliances include a simple, four-burner range. A small island sits in the center of the room. While the kitchen isn’t fancy, it is clean and in very good condition.

The backyard is small and has a garden box at the back including fruit trees and flowers. One half of the yard is paved and partially covered. The other half has grass that isn’t in great condition.

Upstairs, there are four bedrooms, two baths (including the master) and a laundry room. All of the bedrooms have a thick, neutral colored carpet. The laundry room is simple, with space for side by side machines and a shelf above. There are no cabinets and it doesn’t have a sink. There is a linen cabinet just outside the room, as well as another one further down the hall.

The master bedroom is at the top of the stairs, overlooking the street. It is an average size and has a walk-in closet in the bedroom itself. There is a second walk-in closet in the bathroom; both are good sizes.

The master bath has upgraded granite counters on the two-sink vanity. A bathtub with simple white tiles sits right next to the vanity. A stall shower, also with plain white tile, is next to the tub. The shower lacks a seat and isn’t very big. I would rather see a nicer shower and no bathtub, since there isn’t really space for both.

All three secondary bedrooms share one bathroom. It only has one sink and very plain counters and cabinets. It has a shower/tub combo with plain, white tile.

Two of the upstairs bedrooms are quite similar. Each has one window facing the backyard and a two-door, standard closet. Neither room is very big, but there should be enough space for basic bedroom furniture. The third room is similar in size, but has two windows (one facing front, one facing the side) and a good-sized, walk-in closet.

This is a very simple house. There aren’t any remarkable features and nothing makes it stand out. Most of it is well maintained, but a few small changes, such as adding cabinet handles and drawer pulls or upgrading the window treatments, could go a long way to improving the overall look. It is priced similarly to others in the neighborhood. As always, I must point out that this is a home with an Irvine address, but is part of Tustin Unified School District.